


After School Routines

by daisychain (seonghwazz)



Series: What Is This AU [1]
Category: In the Heights - Miranda/Hudes
Genre: Dani and Carla being Cool Moms, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Kidfic, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:40:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27376624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seonghwazz/pseuds/daisychain
Summary: What do Vanessa and Nina do after school?
Relationships: Carla & Daniela & Vanessa (In the Heights), Carla & Daniela (In the Heights), Nina Rosario & Vanessa, Usnavi/Vanessa (In the Heights)
Series: What Is This AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926085
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	After School Routines

Vanessa hated woodwork with a passion. What fun was there cutting and carving blocks of a dead tree until they looked like animals or something? It was stupid, just like everything else in this dumb school. 

She glanced around the classroom; Nina looked like she was having the time of her life sawing wood and laughing with Yolanda. Vanessa rolled her eyes, turning back to her own block of wood. The design of the whale sketched onto the block glared pleadingly at her, as if begging Vanessa to free it from its wooden prison. Unable to stall any longer, Vanessa sighed, yanked the goggles the teacher insisted that they wear over her eyes, and picked up the coping saw lying on the workbench in front of her.

Time to carve some dead tree.

~

two weeks later...

~

“Who’re you giving your wood carving to, Nessa? I’m giving mine to my parents to put on their bedside table,” Nina declared, as they walked home from school. The teacher had given them their wood projects back and the kids had all been instructed to give them to someone they treasured, such as a friend or a family member “Not my mom, for sure,” Vanessa grumbled, kicking a rock along the sidewalk. 

“You don’t even see her that often anymore. I’m with you on this one,” Nina agreed. Vanessa and her mother had reached an agreement; Vanessa could stay with Daniela and Carla at their apartment (who had offered to let the girl live with them for god knows how long) for as long as she wanted, on the condition that she go stay with her mom every once in a while. The happiest day of Vanessa’s 13 years of life had been when she moved into Dani and Carla’s apartment; it had been like a breath of fresh air, even though it had been polluted New York air.

(It’s been one month since she moved a block down, and she hasn’t visited her mom once. Neither Dani nor Carla have nagged her to go.)

“Maybe you could give it to Dani?” Nina suggested. “She is acting as a surrogate mother to you.” 

Vanessa scoffed, flicking her shiny hair over her shoulder. “Haha, no. That would be sappy as hell. I mean, if I could I’d give mine to you ‘cause we’re practically family at this point,” Vanessa pointed out awkwardly, scratching the side of her head.

Nina, always the straightforward one with her feelings, flung her arms around Vanessa’s neck, the latter squeaking in surprise. “Love you, Ness,” Nina gushed, Vanessa grumbling good-naturedly as she pulled away from the hug. “Love ya too, Nina.” 

(If there was one thing Vanessa could change about Nina, it'd be her tendency for skinship. Vanessa disliked hugs; they made you feel so  _ suffocated _ , or whatever that chest-constricting feeling she got whenever affection was displayed even  _ was _ .)

The pair stopped by the De La Vega bodega; they were greeted by a half-dozing Usnavi who snapped to attention the second they pushed the glass door open. “Hey,” Usnavi greeted, running a hand through his cropped hair. “What’re you two here for today?” 

Nina presses two one-dollar-bills onto the counter, Vanessa taking another two from her pocket. “One packet of large Skittles, please,” Nina says. Usnavi nods, taking the money from the girls and slipping it into the register. “Help yourself. You know where the candy is.”

Three minutes later, the girls are walking down the street to Dani’s salon while popping multicolored Skittles into their mouths. It was their tradition; they always bought a large bag of candy every Friday after school from Usnavi and hung out at Dani’s salon before it was time for Nina to go home (6 p.m sharp).

“Hey!” Carla greeted as the two girls abandoned their bags by the salon door, waving from where she was cleaning out her scissors. “You’re just on time! Dani finished her appointments so she can do your hair!” As if on cue, Daniela emerged from the backroom, a packet of thick hair elastics in her hands. “Hello, ladies,” Daniela trilled, gesturing for Nina and Vanessa to take a seat on their respective salon chairs. “How was school, hmm?” Vanessa found herself drifting off as Nina blabbed on and on about what they did in Science and  _ how fun  _ Algebra had been; it wasn’t that she didn’t  _ like _ listening to her friend talk, it was just that she was tired and wanted to get some goddamn  _ sleep _ .

“Oye, chacha,” Daniela called at Vanessa, who immediately startled awake. “What?” Vanessa grumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “I was getting some  _ rest _ .” Nina giggled from where Dani had been Dutch-braiding her hair. “Well, I guess you’re not interested in what I saw Usnavi doing the other day,” Daniela sighed exaggeratedly, sniggering internally at Vanessa who immediately sat up. “W-what was he doing?” Vanessa asked, trying to sound nonchalant as she leaned over the side of her salon chair.

“Oh, I don’t know, restocking the bodega,” Dani said while trying (and failing) to hold back her laughter. Vanessa felt her cheeks heat up as she slumped back into her seat, huffing. “Why’re you interested in what the bodega boy’s doing, hmm?” Dani wheedled, tying up Nina’s plaits. “Maybe someone’s got a little crush.” 

Carla  _ oohed _ , smirking in Dani’s direction. Vanessa flushed, shaking her head vigorously as Dani moved on to do her hair. “I don’t have a crush,” Vanessa grumbled. “Y’all are being stupid.” Daniela raised her eyebrows but refused to press any deeper as she did Vanessa’s hair.

Soon, Nina left for home and made Vanessa promise to meet her at the bodega the next day for ice cream. Dani and Carla tidied up the salon while Vanessa finished her homework, the three women working in peace. As Vanessa slips her Science worksheet into her bag, she notices the little wooden whale lying atop of her Maths textbook. She picks it out of her backpack and hides it behind her back, walking up to Dani and Carla. “Guys?” Vanessa asked, her voice small. “Uh, I have something to give you.”

Vanessa pressed the whale into Dani’s hands and bolted out of the salon, flustered. “What’s that?” Carla asked, peeking over Dani’s shoulder to see what the older woman was holding. “Nessa made us something,” Dani murmured, touched. “Awww!” Carla gushed, taking off after Vanessa to hug her. Daniela smiled, stroking the little whale; Vanessa really was the daughter that they’d never had. Carla burst into the salon, a struggling Vanessa in her arms. “We love you so much, Nessa!” Carla squealed, squeezing Vanessa into a bone-crushing hug.

“Love you guys too,” Vanessa mumbled, as Dani joined the hug. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr: https://veanlerie.tumblr.com/
> 
> please drop kudos and/or comments!!


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